Since production was taking way too long to get underway, director Guillermo del Toro has left the pair of Hobbit films he was scheduled to helm.  News courtesy of The One Ring states that he has bolted the project but will remain credited for his screenwriting work.  His statement reads of nothing but a completely amicable split.

“In light of ongoing delays in the setting of a start date for filming “The Hobbit,” I am faced with the hardest decision of my life”, says Guillermo. “After nearly two years of living, breathing and designing a world as rich as Tolkien’s Middle Earth, I must, with great regret, take leave from helming these wonderful pictures. I remain grateful to Peter, Fran and Philippa Boyens, New Line and Warner Brothers and to all my crew in New Zealand. I’ve been privileged to work in one of the greatest countries on earth with some of the best people ever in our craft and my life will be forever changed. The blessings have been plenty, but the mounting pressures of conflicting schedules have overwhelmed the time slot originally allocated for the project. Both as a co-writer and as a director, I wish the production nothing but the very best of luck and I will be first in line to see the finished product. I remain an ally to it and its makers, present and future, and fully support a smooth transition to a new director”.

That being said, Peter Jackson seems to be a bit more troubled by GDT’s departure from the project.  He states:

“We feel very sad to see Guillermo leave the Hobbit, but he has kept us fully in the loop and we understand how the protracted development time on these two films, due to reasons beyond anyone’s control – has compromised his commitment to other long term projects”, says Executive Producer Peter Jackson. “The bottom line is that Guillermo just didn’t feel he could commit six years to living in New Zealand, exclusively making these films, when his original commitment was for three years. Guillermo is one of the most remarkable creative spirits I’ve ever encountered and it has been a complete joy working with him. Guillermo’s strong vision is engrained into the scripts and designs of these two films, which are extremely fortunate to be blessed with his creative DNA”.

“Guillermo is co-writing the Hobbit screenplays with Philippa Boyens, Fran Walsh and myself, and happily our writing partnership will continue for several more months, until the scripts are fine tuned and polished” says Jackson. “New Line and Warner Bros will sit down with us this week, to ensure a smooth and uneventful transition, as we secure a new director for the Hobbit. We do not anticipate any delay or disruption to ongoing pre-production work”.

So, GDT is out, there is considerable uncertainty about when, potentially even if, the Tolkein novels’ will see the light on the big screen.  It’s a pretty ballsy move on behalf of the entire production to expect del Toro to extend his commitment to living in NZ and working on these films from an original 3 years to 6 years.  That’s ridiculous, really.  Is this something that matters?  Not to me, considering I suffered through all three of the LOTR films and yes, I said, suffered.  The Frodo fantasy films were not my cup o’ tea as it were, yet I felt compelled to see them for reasons that remain mysterious. Hype, I suppose, for one, but this is not a phenomena that works with me that often. Sitting through the first movie and subsequent hype building up the following films, for another.  This essentially became a vicious cycle.  That being said, I know that there is a rabid fan base for these films and The Hobbit project, so if you care to share your feelings on del Toro’s leaving of the project, please do.

As if a Liam Neeson thriller wasn’t appealing enough, Variety is reporting that the 57-year old Irish actor will be flanked by two blonde beauties in the upcoming Dark Castle production, Unknown White Male. January Jones (“Mad Men”) and Diane Kruger (National Treasure, Inglourious Basterds) have signed on for the Jaume Collet-Serra (Orphan) directed film, which will be distributed by Warner Bros. and begin shooting this January in Berlin.

Based on a script by troika Oliver Butcher, Stephen Cornwell and Karl Gajdusek, Unknown White Male centers around a man (Neeson) who awakens from a coma to find that someone has stolen his identity. No one, not even his wife (January Jones), will believe him, but with the help of a young Berlin taxi driver (Diane Kruger), he sets out to prove who he is.

Jones, who is dynamite on AMC’s lush and brilliant original TV series “Mad Men”, should have no trouble find work in her spare time or after the show reaches its conclusion – you can see her in the upcoming British comedy Pirate Radio (re-titled here in the States) on November 13th. Meanwhile, Diane Kruger, the German-born 33-year old actress, rose to stardom with roles in Troy and the National Treasure series. Her latest role, in Quentin Tarantino’s “Basterds,” was a surprise box-office hit and an overnight fan favorite.

Unknown White Male sure sounds awfully familiar (another good old identity-crisis thriller), but the cast alone makes it worthy enough of recognition and after the success of Taken, another Liam Neeson starrer, Warner should expect to see good business. The film is tentatively slated to release sometime in 2011.

Adam Shankman, who brought a big-name cast together for his 2007 remake of the Broadway musical “Hairspray,” is back with New Line to adapt another musical from the stage to the big screen with “Rock of Ages.” According to Variety, the musical’s creator, Chris D’Arienzo wrote the script and production is set to begin next summer for a 2011 release through Warner Bros.

“Rock of Ages,” which is filling up quite nicely at the moment at the Brooks Atkinson Theater, is the story of two people who meet at the Sunset Strip club Rock of Ages, where they fall in love and try to stay together amidst a glorious 80’s hair-metal soundtrack featuring the likes of Twisted Sister, Journey, Pat Benatar, Styx and Poison.

Shankman brought a vivid, flowery, drive-in tone to the 2007 summer hit Hairspray, which was set in 60’s Baltimore and viewed the changing cultural landscape of the country through a sarcastic, idealized and exaggerated, showbiz eye. It grossed $118 million domestically in its mid-summer run two years ago, making it one of the most financially successful musicals of all-time.

If Adam Shankman has any thing to say about it, expect another big-budget immersion into a definable era and a big-name cast for Rock of Ages. “I’m thinking big, and absolutely am going to attempt to cast with movie stars. Now that musicals are working again, actors are much more open to it.”

With the news we reported on a week ago regarding the Disney/Marvel merger, not to be outdone Warner Bros. has revamped its partnership with DC (the brand behind Batman and the upcoming Lobo). They have created DC entertainment to handle all of their DC properties. All DC films will now be released under the DC Entertainment banner. Diane Nelson will run the new division for Warner Bros.  Courtesy of Business Wire, we’ve selected a few highlights from the press release. You can read it in its entirety here.

BURBANK, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI) has created DC Entertainment Inc., a new company founded to fully realize the power and value of the DC Comics brand and characters across all media and platforms, to be run by Diane Nelson, it was announced today by Barry Meyer, Chairman & CEO, and Alan Horn, President & COO, Warner Bros.

DC Entertainment, a separate division of WBEI, will be charged with strategically integrating the DC Comics business, brand and characters deeply into Warner Bros. Entertainment and all its content and distribution businesses. DC Entertainment, which will work with each of the Warner Bros. divisions, will also tap into the tremendous expertise the Studio has in building and sustaining franchises and prioritize DC properties as key titles and growth drivers across all of the Studio, including feature films, television, interactive entertainment, direct-to-consumer platforms and consumer products. The DC Comics publishing business will remain the cornerstone of DC Entertainment, releasing approximately 90 comic books through its various imprints and 30 graphic novels a month and continuing to build on its creative leadership in the comic book industry.

In her new role, Nelson will report to Jeff Robinov, President, Warner Bros. Pictures Group, in order to best capitalize on DC Entertainment’s theatrical development and production activities and their importance to drive its overall business with each of the divisions of Warner Bros.

Entertainment on projects in various media. Additionally, he will consult as needed on the transition and integration of the DC Comics organization into DC Entertainment and will utilize his unique experience, knowledge and relationships with the comics industry’s creative community to help achieve DC Entertainment’s goal of maximizing the value of DC properties. Further, Levitz will advise DC Entertainment on creative and rights-holder relationships, in particular regarding the legacy relationships that have been a part of DC Comics for decades.

Widely recognized and respected for his support of writers, artists and creators in the comics industry, Levitz is best known creatively for his work with DC Comics, having written most of the classic DC characters, including Batman, Wonder Woman and the Superman newspaper strip. At Comicon International in 2008, Levitz was awarded the Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award as part of the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the only industry executive ever so honored.

“DC Comics and its super hero characters are truly touchstones of popular culture, and the formation of DC Entertainment is a major step in our company’s efforts to realize the full potential of this incredible wellspring of creative properties,” said Meyer. “Diane knows our studio as a creative executive, a marketer and a senior manager, and this varied background will help her effectively and creatively integrate the DC brand and properties across all our businesses. We’re also thrilled that Paul will remain involved with DC and we’ll be able to tap his expertise to help us reach our goals for this new business.”

“It’s no secret that DC has myriad rich and untapped possibilities from its deep library of iconic and lesser-known characters,” said Horn. “While we’ve had great success in films and television, the formation of DC Entertainment will help us to bring more DC properties across additional platforms to fans around the world, while maintaining brand integrity and authenticity. Diane is a terrific choice to lead DC Entertainment, and with Paul in his new role as a valued consultant and contributing editor, both our company and comic fans win.”

Current DC properties in development and/or production at Warner Bros. Entertainment include:

– “Human Target” is being produced by Warner Bros. Television for a mid-season debut on Fox.

– “Midnight Mass” is in series development at Warner Bros. Television for consideration for the 2010-11 season.

– “Jonah Hex,” Warner Bros. Pictures’ supernatural Western starring Josh Brolin, Megan Fox and John Malkovich, recently wrapped production in Louisiana.

– “The Losers,” Dark Castle/Warner Bros. Pictures’ action-adventure drama starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Zoe Saldana and Chris Evans, began principal photography mid-July in Puerto Rico.

– “The Green Lantern,” Warner Bros. Pictures’ next big superhero tentpole release, recently cast Ryan Reynolds as the titular character. The film has a projected second quarter 2011 release date.

– “Lobo,” based on the DC Comics anti-hero, has Guy Ritchie attached as a director; Joel Silver, Akiva Goldsman and Andrew Rona are producing for Silver Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures.

– Warner Premiere’s direct-to-platform DVD animated release of “Green Lantern: First Flight” debuted July 28.

– Warner Bros. Animation currently produces “Batman: The Brave and the Bold,” which airs on Cartoon Network.

– Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment released “Batman: Arkham Asylum” on August 25, a dark, action packed videogame adventure for Xbox 360 videogame and entertainment system, PlayStation3 computer entertainment system and Games for Windows.

Prior to being named President, DC Entertainment, Nelson most recently served as President, Warner Premiere since its founding in 2006. Warner Premiere is a Studio-based production company which develops and produces high-quality, direct-to-DVD and short-form digital

What are your thoughts on Warner Bros. giving DC their own division? It makes sense to me, as the Christopher Nolan Batman series has earned them well over a billion dollars alone. If you are not a fan of comic book films then you are out of luck. It now seems we will be seeing a lot more comic book properties hitting the big screen.

Our good friend Chuck Curry has put together the following piece at his blog, Entertainment Today & Beyond. Visit for his mature insight into film and great radio movie report audio.

At this point there’s no sense fighting the parade of remakes being announced as they appear to be never-ending. The latest is Warner Bros giving the heads up that they have hired director Michael Davis (Shoot ‘Em Up) to helm a redo of the terrific 1981 Sean Connery sci fi movie, Outland, that was written and directed by Peter Hyams.

Virtually a High Noon remake in outer space, Outland was a very entertaining movie with one of the greatest screen legends in Connery as the lead. Connery played a police Marshal stationed at a remote mining colony on one of Jupiter’s moons where he uncovers a murderous conspiracy threatening the entire Outland with collapse. While fan appreciation has grown over time the film was not a big hit, grossing around $20 million at the box-office on a $16 million budget.

Some remakes infuriate me as I feel they’re just unnecessary; like the recently announced remakes of Poltergeist and Total Recall. In fairness, though, some work out fine. The classic Philip Kaufman version of 1978’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers, John Carpenter’s The Thing, and even the remake of Carpenter’s Assault on Precient 13 were all top notch re-tellings as was Zach Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead which I’ve championed many times on this site. I’m still waiting on production starts on long planned remakes of Westworld and Soylent Green which I think have the potential to be pretty good in the hands of the right filmmakers.

The question here is what actor do you get to fill the large shoes of Sean Connery? I would love to see George Clooney do it although, sadly, I’m sure the studio will look for a twenty something actor for the role.